Laundry apparatus



June 1, 1943. H. BROTMAN, 2,320,713 7 LAUNDRY APPARATUS Fi le d March 11, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS June 1, 1943; -H,BRQT' AN 2,320,713

LAUNDRY APPARATUS Filed March '11, 1938 4 sheets-sheet a 1% 5. 146

June 1, 1943. H BRQTMAN 2,320,713

LAUNDRY APPARATUS Filed March 11, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented June 1, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates in general to washing machines, and has particular reference to the rotary type machine which is adapted both for washing and damp drying clothes. It has fur: ther and specific reference to the transmission of the machine.

Oneof the main objects of the present invention is to improve the transmission of the rotary type washing machine so that its manipulation is safe, easy, simple and highly efiective.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved washing machine transmission with means for rapidly changing over the operations of the machine from that of washing to that of drying, or vice versa.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel form of clutch for an improved type of rotary washing machine, said clutch being adapted for driving said machine at a plurality of selective variablespeeds.

Other objects and advantages will become readily apparent from a reference to th following speciflcation, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, of which there are four (4) sheets and in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the washing assembly embodying the present inven-= tion, and showing parts of the assembly in section and others broken away;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the transmission, tank and cylinder shown in Fig. 1, and showing in detail the transmission in assembly;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged and detailed view, in section, of the transmission shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an end sectional view of the apparatus shown in the preceding figures, and showing in elevation and in detail'the pumping means in operative position and the actuating means therefor;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken through the lines 5-5 in Fig. 3 and showing in elevation the eccentric and its actuating means;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken through the lines 6-6 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is an end elevational view of the distributing chamber shown in Figs. 1 and 2; and

.Fig. 8 is an elevational view of the clutch operating yoke taken along the lines 8-8 in Fig. 2.

The figures illustrate a washing machine of the revolvable washing cylinder type, and shown generally at H] is an outer casing for the washer, said casing being assembled and supported in the usual manner and being adapted for enclosing the washer and its apparatus in its entirety.

Rigidly secured to the top of and being supported within said outer casing in spaced relation to one of its end walls is a stationary semi-cylindrical washing tank l2, said tank being formed to prevent water from escaping therefrom into said casing and being open at its top to communicate with an opening in said casing, said opening being closed by a removable cover plate l4. Adapted for revolving about a fixed axis within the tank I2 is a perforated washing cylinder l6 having an opening I8, or plurality thereof,

formed therein through which said cylinder can be loaded with clothes, opening l8 being closed by a cover 20, and the perforations in cylinder l6 serving to permit fluid to pass therethrough from the tank 12.. Cylinder I6 is closed at its ends, as usual, by a pair of perforated end plates 22 secured to the body of cylinder l6 in any appropriate manner, such as by bolting or welding, said cylinder being preferably provided or formed on its inner surface with a plurality of axially directed bafiies 24 for giving one of the desirable forms of water actions to the clothes within cylinder l6.

Each of the end plates 22 of cylinder I6 is centrally provided or formed with a hub portion 26 into one of which, by means of a pin 28, is keyed a shaft 30 for rotatively driving the washing cylinder l6, and into the other of which hub is slidably provided a stub shaft 32, one end of said shaft 32 being provided with a spring and ball arrangement 34, and the other end of shaft 32 being journalled in a bearing 36 which itself is supported by the body of the washing tank [2. Threadedly secured to the end of bearing 36 is a shaft seal nut 38 which tends to keep shaft 32 in place against axial movement toward the right, and the spring and ball arrangement 34 tending to keep the hub 26 of the washing cylinder l6 up against the pin 28 on shaft 30. Bearing 36 is provided with a shoulder on one end and a lock nut 40 spaced therefrom, said shoulder and nut being adapted for retaining up against opposite faces of the wall of tank l2 the usual seal washers for preventing the escape of fluid from said tank at said bearing. Obviously, the shaft 32 can be pressed into or otherwise non-rotatably held by the bearing member 36, and if such is the case, then the bore of hub portion 26 of cylinder [6 is preferably hardened or otherwise provided with means for withstanding the wear thereat due to the relativity of movement between said bore and the shaft 32. g

A water distributing chamber 42, of annular plurality of orifices 44 which open therefrom into openings provided therefor in said tank and which are in alignment with a plurality of slotted openings 48 formed in the end plates 22 of the cylinder I8. Chamber 2 is communicated with a water source (not shown) by means of a conduit 48, the conduit permitting water to enter the chamber 42 under pressure and to be disa transmission housin generally indicated at I08.

charged rapidly from the latter into the tank I2 and cylinder I8 simultaneously. v

For discharging the water from the tank I2 and cylinder I8 there is provided at the bottom of the former an outlet pipe 88 which empties {into a separating chamber 82, said chamber 82 being shown assupported by a horizontal supporting member I8. Chamber '2 is adapted for separate ing out the heavy foreign matter from the-water passing through the chamber from the tank I2,

such as buttons-coins, nails and sludge; and is by means of a plurality of combination axial and radial thrust bearings I82; Between the hub portions of the pulley 84 and the housing I88 there is provided an oil seal I84 which is pressed into the latter to prevent the escape of oil and grease outwardly from the housing around the shaft 88.

A gear I88 is pinned to the constantly rotatable shaft 88 for rotation therewith by means of a pin I", the gear being secured against axial movementbetween one of the bearings I82 and a shoulder formed on said haft. In constant mesh with. gear III for being rotated at the same'speed thereof is a gear I I8 running idly on the shaft 38 around oil-less bearings I I2. The portion of this washing cylinder driving shaft 38 which extends into the housing Ill. for being supported thereby is Journaled in the walls of said housing by means of a plurality of combination radial and axial provided with a clean-out door 88 for enablin free access into. said chamber for the removal therefrom of said foreign matter. Secured to and supported by said horizontal supporting member 84 is a bracket 88, at one end of which bracket 88, such asby a pin 88, is pivoted a pump \platform 82 upon which is permanently supported or mounted a pump 84. To one end of the platform 82 is secured an end of a spring 86, the opposite end of said spring being secured to the bracket 58, such as at 88. The strength of spring 88 is such as, normally, to urge the platform 62, with the pump 8| mounted thereon, out of a horizontal position about the pivot 88. The end of platform 82 opposite its pivoted end is formed or provided with material 88 whichis sensitive to magnetic forces and insulated from said platform and is shown in Figs. 1 and 4 as being magnetically held in proximity to the coil of a properly supportedelectrically energized magnet Ill, said coil being shown diagrammatically as being connected to a closed switch 12 in an electric circuit through conduits II. While in such closed position of switch 12 and during the energization of the magnet II, a rubber faced pulley or gear 16, mounted on the pump 84 for driving same, is held in contact with a power pulley I8 mounted on a driving motor 88, such contact between pulleys I8 and 18 being caused by the assumption by the platform 82 of a horizontal position against the force of the spring 88 and causing the pump 84 to operate. The pump 84 is provided with a flexible inlet 82 and a flexible outlet 84, said inlet being connected between the pump 84 and the top of separating chamber 52, said outlet being connected to a discharge conduit 86, and said flexibility of inlet 82 and outlet 84 being necessary on account of the movement of the pump 84 and its platform 82 about the pivot 88 during the energization and de-energization of the magnet I8 through the operation of the switch I2.

. The motor 88 is resiliently supported by a cradle 88, which cradle is supported in the usual manner on the horizontal supporting member 84, the motor being connected in the usual manner to a I proper source of power (not shown) by a proper system of conduits (not shown). Secured to the 7 end of the motor shaft for rotation therewith and opposite the end thereof on which pulley I8. is

' fixedly mounted is a drive pulley 88 for driving al belt 82. Belt 82 is adapted for driving, in y alarger pulley 84 which is securedtoa shaft- 88 75 turn,

.ill.

I II is disposed an annular metallic thrust washer Shaft 88 is provided with a longitudinally splined portion Ill at its periphery to which is engaged for being driven thereby an internally splined clutch member III, member II8 being adapted'for rotation with shaft 88 and for axial movement along the splined portion II of said shaft. The clutching face of member I I8 is provided with a disc I28 of non-metallic material which is adapted, when member I I8 is in frictional engagement with the rear driving face of gear II8, to drive the shaft 88 at the same speed as the speed of the gear IIII. Gear H8 is provided at its periphery with an annular rearwardly extending flange I22 between the inner sides of which is formed on said gear the aforementioned driving face. To the outer periphery of the flange I22 is tightly secured a metal enclosure member I24 which is adapted to rotate with gear H8. to completely enclose the clutch member I I8 to prevent the presence of grease and oil at the clutching faces of members H8 and H8, and to be tightly and resiliently held up against a rubber sleeve I28 securely mounted on the clutch member II8.

Needless to say, the splined portion I it of shaft is of greater length than the hub width of the clutch member II8, said portion IIG terminating at one end at the clutching face of gear H8 and providing a shoulder thereat for preventing axial movement of said gear. The other end of said splined portion II8 terminates substantially at the hub of a gear I28, with a snap ring I28 disposed therebetween for holding the gear I28 against axial movement on shaft 38, gear I28 being of greater diameter than gears I88 and III) and being in constant mesh with a splined portion I32 formed on driving shaft 86, the gear I28 being idly mounted on shaft 88 around "a plurality of oilloss bearings I84. Between gear I28 and one of the bearing assemblies H8 is disposed a fibre washer [88' for further preventing axial displacement of the gear I28. The splined portion I32 of shaft 88 is of small diameter so that meshing with the gear I28 of large diameter causes gear I28 to have a considerably lower rotary speed than that of the gear II8 which is driven'by gear I86, the two latter gears being of an equal diameter which is less than that of gear I28 and greaterthan that of spline I82;

The hub of gear I20 is elongated to form a plurality of equally spaced axially directed teeth I08 which are adapted, upon movement of clutch member II8 to the right, to be meshed into the slots provided between equally spaced similar teeth I40 formed on the hub end of the clutch member II8, such meshing providing a metal to metal contact between member H8 and gear I20 and causing the member II8 to drive the-shaft 50 at the rotary speed of gear I28. Held in position between shoulders provided therefor on member III and the hub of the gear I28, and telescoping said hub and the teeth I40 and I of said members, is a spring I42 which tends to oppose the engagement between the clutch member H8 and the gear I28.

As shown in Fig. 2, the transmission housing I00 has secured thereto, by, means of a series of annularly spaced bolts I44, an end plate I45 with a proper gasket therebetween, said end plate being formed at its center with an exteriorly threaded hub portion I48 which protrudes through an opening provided therefor in the washing tank I2 and on to which is threaded a shaft sealing nut I50. The shaft 80 extends from within the housing I00 through hub I45 of plate I48, through the nut I50, and into the hub 25 of the washing cylinder I5, to be locked therein by the pin 20. The shaft 30, lying between the right hand hearing I I5 and nut I50, is provided with a sumcient number of proper sealing members for sealing the transmission housing against entrance'thereinto of water and moisture.

Extending between and through the walls of the transmission housing I00 and supported thereby is a shaft I52 upon which is mounted for rotation therewith a disc I54 and an eccentric I55. Shaft I52 is disposed above the driven transmission shaft 30 and its axis lies in a vertical plane which is perpendicular to a vertical plane which includes the axis of shaft 30. The disc I54 is adapted for being peripherally contacted by a ball member I58 which is spring impressed against said disc by means of a spring I80, said spring being supported in a bore provided therefor in boss I 6| formed in the wall of housing I00, said bore being outwardly closed by a screw I52. The disc I54 is provided at its periphery with a plurality of equally spaced depressions I54, said depressions being engageable by said ball for holding said disc and eccentric in the desired selected position. Engaged by the surface of eccentric I55 is a rod I55 which is secured to an end of a yoke member I68, the forked portion of yoke I58 being provided with inwardly directed lugs or rollers I10 which fit into an annular depressed portion I12 on clutch member II8. Yoke I58 is mounted for pivoted movement about a rod I89 which is mounted in the walls of housing I00. So that, when shaft I52 is turned clockwise from the position shown in Fig. 3, the ball I50 will be upset from its lodgment in the depression I54, the surface of the eccentric I58 will force the rod I55 and yoke I50 to the left, the clutch member II8 consequently being forced to the right, and the teeth I40 on member I I8 will engage with the slots between the teeth I38 on gear I28, the shaft 80 thereafter being driven at the same rate as that of the gear I20. Opposite movement of the shaft I52 will of course bring the face I of clutch member II8 into frictional engagement with the clutching surface of the gear III), the shaft 30 being thereafter driven at the same rate, or substantially so, as that of the gear H0. The movement of shaft I52, for

can be effected by means of a handle I14 connected to the shaft I52.

It is contemplated that the structural features of the apparatus for moving the clutch member H8 in either direction is also contemplated that such structure can be operable automatically, rather than manually as shown, such as by providing a properly controlled motor (not shown) in association with shaft I52 for driving same.

It is preferred to drive the shaft 58 at a constant speed of approximately 360 R. P. M.: to

provide a one-to-one ratio between gears I08 and H0; and to provide a one-to-six ratio between gear I 28 and spline I32. By doing this, the proper washing and drying speeds of approximately 60 R. P. M. and 360 R. P. M., respectively, can be attained.

Although the invention has been described with some detail it is not intended that the description be definitive of the limits of the inventive idea. The right is reserved to make such changes in the specification and drawings as will come within the purview of the attached claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a laundry machine transmission, a shaft supported for rotation about its axis, a pair of driving gears freely carried on said shaft with a fixed axial spacing therebetween and unitarily rotatable about said axis one at a relatively high speed and the other at a relatively low speed, said low speed gear having a hub extending toward said high speed gear, the portionof said shaft residing between said high speed gear and said hub being integrally formed with axially extending splined means, an annular spring loaded driven member carried on said shaft portion and being internally splined for driving engagement with said means, said member being movable along said means in opposite directions toward and away from said hub and said high speed gear and biased in the direction of said high speed gear, a friction clutch having a driving section formed on the side of said high speed gear facing said member and a driven section formed on the end of said member facing said high speed gear, said sections being interengageable upon movement of said member toward said high speed gear for driving said shaft at the speed of said high speed gear, and a jaw clutch having a driving section formed on said hub and a driven section formed on the opposite end of said member, said last two mentioned sections being interengageable upon movement of said member toward said low speed gear for driving said shaft at the speed of said low speed gear.

2. In a laundry machine transmission, a shaft supported for rotation about its axis, a pair of driving gears freely carried on said shaft with a fixed axial spacing therebetween and unitarily rotatable about said axis one at a relatively high speed and the other at a relatively low speed, said low speed gear having a hub extending toward said high speed gear, the portion of said shaft residing between said high speed gear and said hub being integrally formed with axially extending splined means, an annular driven member carried on said shaft portion and being internally splined for driving engagement with said means, said member being movable along said means in opposite directions toward and away from said hub and said high speed gear, a frictionv clutch causing the dliferent driving speeds for shaft 20,

can be rearranged and that, where members have been shown separable, they can be made integral, and vice versa. It

shaft at the speed of said high speed gear, a Jaw clutch having a driving section formed on said hub and a driven section formed on the opposite end of said member, said last two mentioned sec- 1 tions being interengageable upon movement of said member toward said low speed gear for driving said shaii; at the speed of said low speed gear. and a coil spring telescopically arranged about 5 said hub, said opposite end 01' said member and said last two mentioned clutch sections for urilnll said member in one of said directions and for 0D- posing movement of said member in the other of said directions.

HYMAN BRO'I'MAN. 

